Styling Tips for Straight or Curly Hair

To Make the Most of Straight Hair

Your best cut: If your hair is on the thick side, go long. The weight will help prevent puffiness. And to give it movement, add in a few graduated layers, à la Gwyneth Paltrow or Sofia Vergara. If it’s finer, opt for a choppy shag or a blunt bob. Both can create the illusion of fullness, says New York City salon owner Paul Labrecque.

How to style it: Use a deep-cleaning shampoo. Scalp oils easily migrate down straight hair and can make it feel greasy. Follow with a lightweight conditioner on the ends only. Don’t load up on styling products, which can flatten. Instead, blow-dry with a smoothing paddle brush, aiming the air toward the ends. (Blow-dry directly into your hair and you’re apt to create frizz.) And the real secret to lustrous, shampoo-commercial hair? “Light reflection,” says Ken Paves, a celebrity stylist with salons in Los Angeles and Clinton Township, Michigan. Rub shine serum between your palms, then smooth onto hair.